


Season 11, Finals Game...????

by JudasComplex



Category: Blaseball (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:55:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27192734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JudasComplex/pseuds/JudasComplex
Summary: A quiet moment in the corner of the dugout, while the Eternal Finals rage around them.
Kudos: 3





	Season 11, Finals Game...????

"Hey there." His friend's face lit up the screen on his phone, smile wide. "Are you seriously calling me from the dugout?"

"Can you blame me? Who knows if we're ever getting out of here. Have you been watching?" Riley just laughed, and Felix had to smile, because if Riley was smiling, the world smiled with them. It seemed like nothing about them had changed since they'd met all those years ago, with their sandy brown hair in their face and hazel-green eyes bright behind black glasses. "Besides, no one's paying attention to me, and I'm off in a corner. It's good to see you, Ri."

"Good to see you too. What's on your mind? You don't usually like to talk from the field, as it were."

"Nothing, really. Just...not used to thinking about this much time off ahead of me."

"I believe it. You all keep busy."

"Of course; it's the ILB." Felix chuckled. "We don't rest."

"I've noticed. Not that you ever did. How's everything going with the team?"

Felix shrugged. "Same as ever, I guess. The semi-finals were tense, because of Bendie's connection to Dunlap, so that's really been a lot of it. And now..." He gestured out toward the field. "We have the eternal finals of the Beams and the Garages. It'll be a really good series, if anyone ever wins."

"I've watched most of it, and I'd agree with that assessment. And now a break until...what, that trial with the commissioner, yeah?"

"Yeah. Whatever that's going to be."

"Any plans outside of maybe visiting an old school friend?" An innocent sounding question, but the glint in Riley's eyes spoke volumes more than the words did.

"No, not at the moment." Felix rolled his eyes. "I don't know why you even bother to ask."

"Because I'm hoping that eventually you're going to surprise me, Lixi. Have you even spoken to anyone about plans?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. I'm...still working on it."

"Working on it?"

"Don't play dumb. You know full well what I mean." He sighed, leaning back on the bench. "I'm not making plans until I have an idea of what might actually come of them. I'm not going to ask someone to come talk, and then not have anything to talk about. Particularly..." He pointed that last word, staring down his smirking friend. "When it's in regards to who I know you're asking about."

"Only because it's the most fun one to pick at. I think you should hang out with all your teammates more, plus like...half of the league. But that's just me."

"And I'd have just as much trouble bringing it up to any of them."

Riley seemed to think about that, then shrugged with a smile. "Okay, I suppose I have to give you that one. You probably would." They leaned on the table. "But still. I know you've been getting along better with some of the others; didn't you say you and Charlatan had been talking more? Winnie and Penny? That's good!"

"Yeah, it's been nice. Past two seasons have been good for that."

"So what makes Houston different?"

Felix's eyes tracked over the dugout to the player in question, luckily on the far side of the space from him and watching the game. Wasn't that the question of the hour. What _did_ make Andrew Solis different than anyone else on the team? To be fair, it wasn't like he could come up with anything to say if he replaced it with a different team member. But... it seemed like there would be something he could say to the others. Talking to Charla about growing up in the city versus a college town. Talking to Patty about pitching - hell, talking about cooking. It could be anything. But Solis...was an enigma. No one knew much about his past, and it seemed to suit him that way. He supposed he could ask about his time on the Spies, and what it was like to be on another team...but they spent their lives playing blaseball. Wouldn't it be nice to talk about something else for once?

And yet.

"I'm not sure," he settled for, eyes coming back to Riley. "He's a hard guy to get to know, and I know that's not just me. He plays his cards close to the chest and tends to keep it that way, even with his closest friends. At least, from what I can see. So I don't know what I'd talk about, other than blaseball. And especially over the siesta, I'd like to be able to not talk about blaseball, at least for a few moments."

"Okay, that's at least fair." He could see Riley lean back. "Hm. I don't have a good answer for that."

"I'm astounded."

Riley shook their head. "Sometimes even I can be rendered speechless, Doctor." There was a pause, though a comfortable silence. "Tell me the truth about it, though."

Felix sighed. "I don't think it's anything to get worked up about, honestly. It's not a 'stop the presses' kind of feeling. Just...a feeling. One that hasn't shown up much lately."

"That's valid, though."

"You're not fighting me on it?"

"No, because you sounded genuine, and I think I've badgered you long enough about this that you'd actually tell me when I asked."

That got a laugh out of the pitcher. "Yes, I'd tell you if I thought this was something big. You'd be the first to know."

"Even before the other person!"

"Yes." They both laughed at that. "No, it's just...he's the kind of person you just want to be around, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." Riley's smile was fond. "He's always had that vibe, even from where I've been watching. I've never blamed you."

"I know." Felix sighed. "I wish I had half your skills at starting conversations."

"I'm less worried about falling on my face than you are." Riley grinned. "I never go in with a plan, and usually end up saying so."

"That can't go well."

"You'd be surprised. Turns out 'I have no idea what to say; I just wanted to talk to you' is a pretty good icebreaker." His friend winked. "Maybe you can try it out."

"That's about what it would turn into. And I don't need to give my teammates anymore reason to pity me."

"Hey." Riley's face fell serious, and they leaned forward again. "One, you just beefed up your stats this season, so enough of that. And two, didn't you say you were going to stop being so hard on yourself?"

"I'm not being..." But his voice gave out with the glare from his friend. "Okay, fine. Maybe I'm being hard on myself."

"Honestly, Lixi. If any of your teammates - anyone in the league! - came up to you and was just like 'hey, so I know we never really talk but I'd kinda like to, is that okay?', what would you think?"

Felix stared at them. "You know my honest answer isn't going to be what you want to hear."

"Say it anyway."

"I'd just be happy someone wanted to talk to me in the first place." Riley sighed. "I told you that you weren't going to like it."

"I know you did."

Though that brought back a memory. "Though you left me hanging last time. What kept you around me, back then?"

Riley's lips twitched up at the corner. "Wondered when you were going to ask me about that." They cleared their throat. "Honestly, Felix? Because you're funny, and unintentionally charming, and you genuinely care about people. And that last one is pretty rare nowadays, and it's just nice to see someone who gives a shit about what other people are going through, regardless of how well they might know them."

"I..." That wasn't even remotely what he'd been expecting. "I just like seeing people happy."

"I know you do." Riley leaned in toward the camera again. "But surprise surprise, Doctor. Sometimes, people like seeing you happy too." His friend waited a beat. "Do me a favor."

"What?"

"Just try. At some point. And if it blows up in your face, I'll never bring it up again. Doesn't even have to be Houston. Some member of your team. Try and do something with someone over the break."

Up above his head, Felix could see the black hole open again, and the scoreboard flip the Sunbeams' runs back to 0, and he sighed. "If I ever escape the finals. Fine."

"That's all I ask. Let me know when you're free again." The pitcher waved, and his screen went black.

...and with a glance down the length of the dugout, he clenched his teeth.

_You know what, screw it._

_[hey, if we ever make it to the siesta, you want to get drinks or something? I'm really bad at getting to know people, but I'm trying to change that and you seem like a cool guy and I don't know how to finish this text so yeah]_


End file.
